This invention relates to a materials handling vehicle, such as a lift truck, wherein the operator may operate the vehicle in either a standing or a sitting position.
In a prior art lift truck where the operator maneuvers the vehicle while in the standing position, such as a stock picker, safety considerations provide that the operator be properly positioned or located on the operator's platform. To release the brakes of the vehicle, the operator must step on the brake pedal which activates the brake and dead man switches. To brake the vehicle, the operator merely raises his feet, and that action will apply the brakes to bring the vehicle to a stop, and to hold the vehicle in place while the operator removes stock from a shelf to place it on the truck.
In other types of vehicles, such as pallet handling trucks, the operator is normally in a seated position during the operation of the vehicle. To ensure that the operator is in the proper position before permitting the vehicle to operate, the seat is provided with a weight actuated switch, and dead man switches are also provided to ensure that the operators feet are in the proper position. To brake the such a vehicle, the operator will remove his foot from one of the dead man switches, which causes the vehicle to coast, and places it on the brake pedal to control stopping.
Therefore, in a stock picker, the operator brakes the vehicle by releasing the floor pedal. In a pallet handling truck, on the other hand, a separate brake pedal is normally provided for braking, and dead man switches are provided to control the operation of the traction motors and other auxiliary functions, such as the operation of the forks. In both vehicles, means are provided to ensure that the operator is in the proper position before allowing the vehicle to move or other operations to be performed.